keshva klesharaNa nArAyaNa janArdana |
govinda paramAnanda mAM samuddhara mAdhava ||
There have been some queries regarding the mahAmantra if hare rAma should precede hare kr^iShNa or vice versa. There seem to be pramANas to support both.
The dAkShiNAtya pATha of kalisantaraNopaniShat reads as below:
sa hovAcha hiraNyagarbhaH:
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare |
hare kR^ishNa hare kR^ishNa kR^iShNa kR^iShNa hare hare ||
iti ShoDashakaM nAmnAM kalikalmaShanAshanam |
nAtaH parataropAyaH sarvavedeShu dR^ishyate ||
This is the pATha used by commentators on the upaniShad such as upaniShadbrahmendra, rAmAshrama, vR^indAraNya svAmin, ma~Ngaladeva, ananta bhaTTa etc.
However, the gAuDIya pATha of the same upaniShad reads:
hare kR^ishNa hare kR^ishNa kR^iShNa kR^iShNa hare hare |
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare ||
The pA~ncharAtra text sanatkumAra samhitA presents the mantroddhAra in the following fashion:
asyaiva kR^ishNachandrasya mantrAH santi trayo.amalAH |
siddhAH kR^iShNasya satpremabhaktisiddhikarA matAH ||
hare kR^iShNau dvirAvR^ittau kR^iShNa tAdR^ik tathA hare |
hare rAma tathA rAma tatha tAdR^ik hare manuH ||
rAdhA hR^idaya, a tAntric work, states the mantra as below:
grahaNAdyasya mantrasya dehI mantramayo bhavet |
tadahaM te.abhidAsyAmi mahAbhAgavatottama ||
hare kR^ishNa hare kR^ishNa kR^iShNa kR^iShNa hare hare |
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare ||
Agneya purANa states:
hare kR^ishNa hare kR^ishNa kR^iShNa kR^iShNa hare hare |
raTanti halayA vApi te kR^itArthA na samshayaH ||
ananta samhitA states the following:
hare kR^ishNa hare kR^ishNa kR^iShNa kR^iShNa hare hare |
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare ||
ShoDashaitAni nAmAni dvAtrimshad varNakAni hi |
kalau yuge mahAmantraH sammato jIvitAraNe ||
The following verse is found in brahma yAmaLa:
hare kR^ishNa padadvandvam kR^ishneti cha padadvayam |
tathA hare padadvadvaM hare rAma iti dvayam ||
tadante cha mahAdevi rAma rAma dvayam vadet |
hare hare tato brUyAt harinAma samuddharet |
mahAmantraM cha kR^iShNasya sarvapApapraNAshakam ||